Created by Cambodian-Australian beauty influencer, entrepreneur and self-love warrior Piyané, Nalia is all about reigniting your love of me-time and realigning your energy.
What does self-care mean to you?
For me, self-care is about being attuned to the state of my physical, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing and having the ability to realign these things, even when I don’t feel like it.
How do you know when you’re feeling stressed or burnt out?
I know when I’m feeling stressed or burnt out as I feel like I’m in a manic state. I am constantly refreshing my emails and social media, I find it hard to fall asleep and I get irritated easily, especially when my thoughts are harsh towards others and myself, rather than feeling compassion and kindness.
Do you have a regular self-care routine? If so, what does it look like?
My regular self-care routine includes daily journaling and meditation. This helps to ground me. But lately I’ve also been adding a time for me to feel grief – to allow myself to feel the loss of friendships, relationships etc.
You know how sometimes we experience intrusive or persistent thoughts about certain things and situations that we wish we’d handled better? Sometimes we ruminate about them afterwards and think of ways we could have responded differently?
Well, now I learn to intentionally bring up those memories and listen to how my body and soul reacts to those circumstances. I find it to be a lot more useful to do this consciously rather than letting the intrusive thoughts arise unintentionally.
What bumps you off your self-care routine and how do you get back on course?
My default mode is people-pleasing, so I get bumped off my self-care routine when I overestimate my available time and underestimate my commitments, and I find it hard to say no. Then I get overwhelmed and stop prioritising myself.
People-pleasing is a tool from a time when I was just trying to survive, but it no longer serves me well. To get back on course, I need to recognise what and who I allow to access my energy, then cut back on what is draining me the most and re-prioritise myself. If I am not “functioning”, nothing else in my life works either.
Where do you go for inspiration, ideas, or tools for self-care?
I love Tony Robbins, so he’s always my go-to source of inspiration. I also read books and listen to podcasts of people I can relate to.
What do you think you need to improve in terms of your self-care practice?
I need to improve my relationship with my Creator/the Divine. Without faith, I wouldn’t know my purpose, I wouldn’t hear any guidance, and I wouldn’t be able to feel how loved I am. I have always struggled with feeling worthy as a result of my past trauma. So that can always be improved – because the second you don’t feel worthy of something (e.g., love, wealth, etc.), you lose your frequency with the Source that provides meaning and purpose.
